{"id":22799,"date":"2023-01-14T14:15:03","date_gmt":"2023-01-14T14:15:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fusefornews.com\/2023\/01\/14\/everton-directors-to-miss-southampton-game-over-safety-threat\/"},"modified":"2023-01-14T14:15:03","modified_gmt":"2023-01-14T14:15:03","slug":"everton-directors-to-miss-southampton-game-over-safety-threat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fusefornews.com\/?p=22799","title":{"rendered":"Everton directors to miss Southampton game over safety threat"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Everton<\/span><\/span>
Everton fans held up banners at the FA Cup third-round defeat by Manchester United at Old Trafford this month<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Everton’s board of directors will not attend Saturday’s Premier League game against Southampton because of a “real and credible threat to their safety”.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The club said the directors were advised not to attend Goodison Park following “threatening correspondence”.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Everton sources said club chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale was manhandled by a male fan after last week’s 4-1 home defeat by Brighton.<\/span><\/p>\n

“This is an unprecedented decision,” a club spokesperson said.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Never before has our entire board of directors been ordered not to attend a match on safety grounds.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Everton fan groups planned to protest at the 15:00 GMT match.<\/span><\/p>\n

Everton said there have been “increasing incidents of anti-social behaviour, including targeted physical aggression” at recent home games.<\/span><\/p>\n

They said the board “reluctantly accepted the outcome of the safety assessment carried out by security advisors”.<\/span><\/p>\n

Everton are 18th in the table, have not won in eight matches in all competitions and have been knocked out of both domestic cup competitions.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Toffees narrowly escaped relegation last season and dropped into the bottom three after the loss to Brighton.<\/span><\/p>\n

This month the Everton Fans’ Forum wrote an open letter to owner Farhad Moshiri asking for “sweeping changes at chair, board and executive levels”.<\/span><\/p>\n

In <\/span>response to the letter<\/span><\/a>, Moshiri said he had faith in manager Frank Lampard and the directors.<\/span><\/p>\n

More than 67 fan and social media groups, plus 21 official supporters’ clubs, have combined for the #AllTogetherNow campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n

For Saturday’s fixture against Southampton, Everton fan groups said they would back Frank Lampard and the team with “full-blooded support” during the game.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, they planned to stage a sit-in protest after the game with banners to “highlight Farhad Moshiri’s failure to change and strengthen chair, board and executive positions at the club”.<\/span><\/p>\n

Following the club’s statement on Saturday, the Everton Fans’ Forum <\/span>said<\/span>external-link<\/title><\/svg><\/span><\/a>: “Everyone involved in our campaign and indeed every reasonable Evertonian utterly and completely condemn any threats to any Everton employee and\/or officials and directors of the club.”<\/span><\/p>\n
\"Everton<\/span><\/span>
Everton chairman Bill Kenwright, chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale, chief finance and strategy officer Grant Ingles and non-executive director Graeme Sharp will not attend Goodison Park following safety advice<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"How<\/span><\/span>\"Everton<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n